The phrase "content marketing" is being bandied about a lot these days by marketers. It has almost been overused to the point of becoming inconsequential. Content marketing means different things to different people and unfortunately some of those definitions are pretty awful.

In an effort to sort through the mess, we asked Salesforce Senior Director, Content and Engagement, David B. Thomas, for his take on the current landscape. “Good content marketing is nothing new; it's just good marketing. It's content that is relevant to your audience, that engages and interests them and ideally helps them solve their business problems or otherwise makes their lives easier,” says Thomas.

He adds: “At its worst, people use content marketing to describe reconstituted press releases. Others think of content marketing as any dreck that draws a click. When it comes right down to it, a lot of marketers – I would go so far as to say the majority – are publishing content they wouldn't even want to read themselves.”

So how can you avoid the trap of poor content? As a part of our ongoing “12 Business Days of Salesforce” series, here are Thomas’ five golden rules to follow, in his own words:

1. Be useful.

“Publish content that directly addresses your customers needs. Don't write about yourself, write about them. What is keeping them awake at night? What is keeping their customers awake at night? What information can you offer that will make a positive difference?”

2. Don't be boring.

“I shouldn't have to elaborate on this. Give your content to someone outside of your organization and ask her to read it. Did her eyes glaze over? If so, throw it out and start again. News flash: People also like to laugh. Humor is a great tool to help make your message stick. Just be careful. Lots of brands have fallen into the trap of thinking they're funnier than they actually are.”

3. Have a call to action.

“What's the point of getting people to read your content if they don't know what to do when they're done? Give people a way to find out more. Offer the option to sign up for your mailing list. Point them to where they can download more content, and find out more information about your company, products or services. Every piece of content should have a call to action.”

4. Align your content with your business goals.

“You should have goals and metrics for your content. How else will you know if it's successful? Lots of people make their goals around traffic. Yes, it's great to get a lot of eyeballs on your content, but what if they're the wrong eyeballs? What if they read your content and never do anything else?

“Are you trying to raise awareness by bringing people to your website? Get people to download product information, or signed up for your mailing list? Do you want your content to drive sales leads? Understand what you want your content to achieve and how you will measure its success. At the very least, it makes it a lot easier to explain to your boss why you're doing it.”

5. Don't sink to clickbait.

“It may be tempting to try to grab peoples' attention with high-octane headlines like the kind we see every day on our Facebook feed. Clickbait is a tactic, and like many other questionable marketing tactics, it can have a short-term gain. But think about the long-term. Every piece of content you publish represents your brand. Do you want your brand to be associated with the lowest common content denominator? Do you think your customers like to be tricked into reading what you write? Take the high road.”

If you have missed any posts in the “12 Business Days of Salesforce” series, click the links for day one, day two, day three, and day four.

Download the free e-book, Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses, for additional tips on building out your content marketing strategy.